Assembling fixture



July 21, 1931! i s, BO'YNTON 7 1,815,230

I ASSEMBLING FIXTURE Filed March 6. 1929 44. 1/4 5 i A I 1.4 A

ln venfor Jib/7A7 Boy/7m Patented July 21, 1931 UNITE-D STATES PATENT OFFICE STANLEY EDWARD BOYNTON, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB To WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, 013 NEW YORK, N. Y A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK Application filed. March 6, 1929.

This invention relates to, assembling fixtures, and more particularly to assembling fixtures for accurately positioning irregularly shaped members while they are being assembled to other parts.

The assembling of irregularly shaped parts such as horns of the type disclosed in the copending application of D. G. Scrantom, Serial No. 321,607, filed November 24:, 1928, necessitates the use of an assembling fixture which will accurately align certain of theparts with other parts to be assembled therewith. Ordinarily, the cost of producing such assembling fixtures is comparatively great due to the fact that it is necessary to have highly skilled workmen who must be exceedingly careful to align properly the parts of the fixture and secure them in place.

An object of the invention. is to provide a very accurate assembling fixture involving a small amount of labor.

Accordingly one embodiment of this invention contemplates producing such assembling fixture by shaping a major member approximately to a desired conformation, securing therein a plurality of posltionmg members having slots cut therein, placing in the slots a master form of the exact shape and size of the member which the assembling fixture is to hold, and thereafter pouring molten metal or other moldable material around the sides of the master form in the slots, permitting this metal to harden, and thereafter removing the master form.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. l is a plan View of an apparatus for securing .a plurality of parts in fixed relation While they are being permanently secured to each other, certain parts being broken away for the purpose of clarifying the disclosure;

Fig. 2 is an elevational View of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

ASSEMBLING FIXTURE Serial No. 344,882.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate the same parts throughout the several views, the numeral 4 designates a member which is formed in substantially the shape of a section of a tapered spiral, to which side members 5 and 6 are secured in any well known manner. A plurality of member 77' having dovetailed slots 88 adjacent the inner ends thereof are secured to the member 4 by a plurality of rivets 99 positioned at opposite sides ofthe dove-tailed slots 8. Mounted inthe members 77 adjacent the outer ends thereof are threaded posts 1010 secured in the members 77 by means of pins 11-11. The upper ends of the posts 10-10 are threaded to receive wing nuts 1212 for moving channel shaped clamping members 14 along the posts 10, a hollow conical washer -1515 being interposed between the web of each of the clamping members 14 and the nut 12. Each of the clamping members is slotted at 17 to permit the passage therethrough of the post 10 and as spring 16 is interposed between the member 7 and the clamping member for normally urging the clamping member upwardly away from the member 7.

The hereinbefore described fixture having been formed and assembled, amaster form comprising a member 18 to which are attached metal corner strips 1919 having exactly the desired conformation is placed under the clamping members l414 and loosely positioned thereby in a manner such thatthe corner strips .1919 of the master form are positioned in the dove-tailed slots 8 -8 of the positioning members 7.

If the slots S8' are in perfect alignment, the strips '19-1=9 will rest on the bottoms of the slots throughout their length, but ordinarily the inaccuracies of the slots will cause the strips to be spaced'from the bottoms of the slots as indicated at 21 in Fig. 3. The master form dove-tailed slots 88 and caused to form about the corner pieces 1919 of the master form. Afterthe Babbitt metal has solidified in the slots the master form is removed, leaving a member 20 of Babbitt metal in each of the positioning members so shaped that a line drawn through them will follow exactly the conformation of the corner strips of the master form.

It is believed that a clear understanding of the features of this invention will become more apparent from the following description of the use of the apparatus. In assembling irregularly shaped articles a clamping device for holding the articles is ofttimes required; this is particularly true in assembling the parts of the plywood horn described and claimed in the copending application of D. G. Scrantom, above ref-erred to. A device of the character described herein before was devised for fulfilling such a want and is used in the following manner. The wooden corner pieces of the horn, having been formed and treated to retain their desired conformation which corresponds exact- 1y to the shape of the herein described master form, are placed in the grooves formed by the master form in the Babbitt metal members 20. Glue is then applied to the corner pieces and a sheet of plywood cut to a desired shape, but not formed to follow the spiral conformation desired, is placed over the corner pieces and clamped thereto by means of the clamps l4 and held in place thereby until the glue has completely dried, whereupon the wing nuts 12 are loosened and the spring 16 will force the clamps 14: upwardly so that the assembled section of the horn may be removed.

Although this invention has been described as applied to the assembling of plywood horns and the fixture used in such an assembling operation has been described specifically, it will be understood that this invention is capable of many other uses and the scope thereof is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fixture for forming and combining parts into an assembly of predetermined configuration, a base member having approximately the desired configuration, a plurality of recessed members secured to the base member and having the recesses formed therein in accordance with a master member of the exact desired configuration for receiving and thereby forming accurately into the de sired configuration one flexible part of the assembly and clamping means associated with the base member for clamping another flexible part against the first mentioned part to impart the desired configuration to the second mentioned part and thereafter to maintain the parts in predetermined relation during the assembly thereof.

2. In a fixture for combining parts into an assembly, a base member having a bottom and a side wall, a plurality of recessed members secured to the bottom of the base member for receiving in the recesses thereof one part of the assembly and clamping means secured to each of the recessed members and cooperating with the side wall of the base member for maintaining another part against the first mentioned part during the assembly thereof.

3. In a fixture for combining parts into an assembly, a base member having a bottom and side walls, a row of recessed members secured in spaced relation to the bottom of the base member adjacent each side wall thereof for receiving in the recesses of each row one part of the assembly and clamping means secured to each of the recessed members and cooperating with the adjacent side wall of the base member to maintain another part in engagement with and spanning the space between the two first mentioned parts during the assembly of all of the parts.

at. In a fixture for combining parts into an assembly, a base member having a bottom and a side wall, a positioning member secured to the bottom of the base member adjacent the side wall thereof and having a dove-tailed groove therein containing material having a straight walled recess therein for receiving a part of the assembly, a fixed post secured to the positioning member and projecting beyond the top of the side wall, a clamping member loosely mounted on the post engaging the edge of the sidewall and extending over the recess, a spring surrounding the post and with its ends engaging the clamping member and the positioning member and means threaded upon the projecting end of the postto cause the clamping member to clamp another part of the assembly against the first mentioned part.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 13th day of February, A. D'., 1929.

STANLEY EDWARD BOYNTON. 

